Movable-top desk.



P.- S. MARCELLUS. MovALs ToP DESK.y

K APPLICATION FHL-ED JULY I3. 1916. 1,244,523. Y

P. S. MARCELLUS. MOVABLE TOP'DESK. APPLICATION FILED IuLY La` 1916.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. S. MARCELLUS. MOVABLE TOP DESK.- APPLICATIOH HLED )uLY 13. 1916.

Paten Got. 3i), im?.

4 SHEETS*SHEET 3.

P. s. MARCELLUS. MOY/ABLE TOP DESK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1916. L@

Patnted Oct, 30, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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PERCY s. MAncELLns, or ORANGE, NEW-JERSEY.

'MOVABLE-TOP DESK.

To aZZ whom #may concern: y

Be it known that gl, Pnnor S. MAncnLLUs, a citizen of the United States,residing at 23 Lincoln Place, Orange, vcounty of Essex, and State of New Jersey, 1have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Movable- Top Desks,ffully describedand represented in the `following speciication -and the accompagnying drawings, 4forming apart roit the same. 1

The object of thisinvention .is to provide a-deskin which the top isdivided into sections, .the side-tops beingy movable to expose iiling-chambers within the upper part of the desk, and which side-,tops areconstructed to shift laterally so that they may be moved, and access to the chambers attained, without disturbing any articles resting upon such movable tops.

A. Such a desk is generally formed with two bodies connected together with an intervening space to admit the legs of the user be neath the central portion of the top, and my ypresent invention, among Vother features, includes the connection of the side-bodies by a tie-plate below thercenter-top and the pivoting of the center-top over suchy tieplate so as to be reversible, and when turned bottom upward, toset at a lower level than the top of the desk,to conveniently support a typewriter or similarl instrument.

To inclose such typewriter when not Vin use, the center space is closed at the rear side by a back-plateand at the front side by a front-plate hinged to thereversible top.

The present invention includes a special means of mounting Vthe side-tops movably by means of links-which Swingin a vertical plane, to supportthe side-tops when moved laterally to uncover the ilingchambers; and this feature of the inventionis applicable to desks having vonly awsingle sidebody with movable top. y

The invention kincludes various details of construction which will be herein described, and pointed out in thev claims.

The yinvention f will be understood by reference to `the annexed drawing, in which Figure ll is a front eleva-tionv of the desk withftheleft-hand top retracted.y

Fig. lv shows the under side of one of. the

Side-tops;

Specification of Letters'Patent. Patented 0G15, 30, 1917; Application led July 13, 1916. l Serial No. 108,952. V

Fig. ll one vof the links Z, and zFig., 19a

side-view of the rock-shaft for links Z.

Fig.2 is a plan of the desk with a portion of ,the'center-top `broken away.` Fig. 3 Iisa cross section at the 'middle line of they cen-- ter-top. V

Fig. el isa similar section `'with the ycentertop reversed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of thelvdesk with kthe tops closed together.'

Fig. 6 is avertical section across Fig. l

just within the inner sides of the leftfhand posts lettered a,`the.section line running 'vertically betweenv such posts, and theleftlhand edge of the center top f; and Figi. 7 is la cross-section on line 7-7 lin Fig. l. Figs. 3 and L show the centertopby dotted lines inv several intermediate positions, and in these figures the body. of theftyp'efl writer is illustrated in dotted lines, as rattached to the inner side Yof the centerftop, which when reversedy supports the types writer in a working. position below the topv of the desk. n A The invention is illustrated desk with two side-bodies and interveningfspace, ,each

of the bodies havingy a laterally movable n.

top; but the invention is applicable tothe body of any desklrequiring a laterallymov'-y able top. v

Each of the side-bodies is shown formed with four 'posts o connected by cross-bars, Z'

links, Z, Z, and a slotted guideplate hisse-v cured upon the top of suchspace, as shown in the left-hand chamber of Fig. 2, to guide the upper ends of the links, whicha're'attached to the 'side-tops tdirectly yover. such guide-plates.

,The bottom end A of eachlink Z is jointed by a rock-shaft i in the lower end ot aslot'` in one of the corner-posts Z of such chamber; and the bottom oi each link Z is jointed by a pivot Z1: to a cross-bar c between adjacent corner-posts.

Each of the side-tops g is shown with a rectangular frame In forming a slide-box upon its under side, within which an extension-slide m is movable, to increase the desk area when pulled cut ot' the box.

The framel is provided at its ends, as shown in Fig. la, with a cross-bar which forms the bottom of the box in which the slide is movable, and the upper ends of the links are pivoted to this cross-bar m by pivots 'n'.

The Aside-t-op is thus supported by two links atfeach end, and the links Z are made to move in unison with one another by'iforming their pivots upon the opposite ends of a' rock-shaft el extended within the entire side-wall Z1 of the chamber c, and journaled in the inner side of the post c and squared near its ends to lit square holes in the lower ends or" the links Z.

The links are secured iirmly to such squared portions, and thus move in unison so as to compel a parallel motion oi the sidetop, in its retraction from its normal position, to uncover the chamber c.

lr" the side-tops were unprovided with the slide fm the links Z and Z would be jointed directly to them instead of to the bar m below the slide; but the construction shown permits the side-top to be furnished with the usual slide, and the slide carried therewith whenl the side-top is retracted. The centertop is pivoted to the side-bodies by hangers c', and journals c2.

The space between the center-top and the bottom tie-plate (Z is closed, to protect ythe contents ot such space, and by a iront-plate o is hinged to the iront portion ot the center-top, so that when such portion is pressed downwardly to reverse the position of the top, the front plate may becarried downward with it and the iront of the space thus lett entirely open for access to a typewriter.

To leave'space for the legs of the operator when the center-top is closed, this iront-plate ois sloped backwardly from the top to its lower end, and is held movably in such sloping position by a guide-bar p adjacent to the front edge oi"- the tie-plate (Z. To permit the inversion of the center-top, its front corner must clear the tie-plate Z when the top is reversed, and to avoid fixing the tieplate any lower than is necessary and thus leave space for the feet ot they operator) I shorten the center-top by forming the front portion as a iiap 7 shown secured to the remainder of the center-tcp by a hinge f2, and the front-plate 0 is hinged to the under side ot such flap, so that it may be tipped into a reversely sloping position when the center-top is reversed, as shown lin F ig. Il.

' mailing list.

The hinging of such flap permits it to be folded backwardly, as shown at 7c3 in Fig. 3, by contact withthe guide-bar p, when the front edge of the center-top moves past such guide-bar.

In Fig. 3 the center-topr and its flap are shown in two intermediate positions by dotted lines 0 and 02, with the plate correspondingly shifted, and Fig. 4 shows the Vparts when the side-top is fully inverted;

blocks g being fixed upon the side-bodies to arrest the center-top when it is wholly reversed, and to support it thereafter when the typewriter e is moved forward upon the slides 6, as shown in Fig. Ll.

' Cross-bars 7 are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, secured upon the side-bodies between the adjacent edges of the center-top and sidetops, such bars forming part of the iiush surface of the desk-top when the side-tops are drawn inwardly; and the Jfront ends of these bars have recesses r formed therein adjacent to the front corners of the iap 7, with blocks s pivoted thereinV so that they may be turned outward, as shown in Figs. l and 3, beneath the front corners of the iap to support the same.

The blocks are arranged to swing or tall outwardly so as to set underneath the center-top when the latter is in its normal position. The blocks are pushed back, to reverse the top, and are also pressed back automatically by the corners ot the top when the latter is returned to its normal position. rEhe face of the block is notched at t to iit against the corner of the top 7. Y

A pocket u is shown formed inthe back of the space above the tie-plate (Z, between the back-plate CZ and the rear wall o, inV

which stationery for use by the typewriter operator can be conveniently kept, such space having a cover u hingedupon the rear wall o, and shown in its open position in Fig. 3.

rlhe pocket u is clearly shown in Fig. 2, at the rear oi2 the space in which Vthe centertop can be inverted to support the typewriter. When in its normal position the rear edge of the center-top rests upon the blocks g, and is secured by a latch-bolt co2 provided with a handle 'L04 for retracting it when desired. Figs. 2 and 3 engaging.; a lock-plate upon the upper part of the back-plate fZ.

Fig. Q shows the interior of the ,chamber c which is uncovered and shows partitions c3 which may be disposed in any manner'to form filing spaces for letters, bills, or other papers. The forward part ofthe chamber has partitions arranged therein to form compartments marked card-index and These illustrations simply show the amount of available space which is secured by the ability to` uncover these compart-ments.

The latch-bolt is shown in When the compartments are'l f spaceis needed;

thus uncovered theavailable deskroom can *bef increased bylwithdrawingthe slide m yentirely-"from `itsfboX tm and using it as a ycover/for the chamberc, as indicatedby dotted lines m2 in Fig. l. I

To support the slide flush with the top of the desk'blocks ware shown' projected from 1the face of the cross-bar r at its'ends to sustain one edge 'of such slide, andftonguesv w of-metal are Vformed upon the side of the box from which the slide isiwithdrawn.

'A small-hole ismade inthe faceA of the bar r in the rear of the block ioto'receive 'the metal tongue lwwhcnthc side-top is re- From the above description yit will b e seen that my improvements permit the utilization of all the space within the desk,- and "i by the retraction of the side-tops aords access at once to a large space, so that the contents of numerous les may be reached with great facility, and selections made from such large quantities without opening a plurality of file-cases, drawers, or closets.

As the side-tops retain their horizontal position during their retraction to expose the contents of the chamber c, any books or papers lying upon such side-tops when it becomes necessary to open the chamber 0 do not therefore need to be disturbed or shifted, but remain on the side-top when it is moved. When thus retracted, the side-tops also serve as an extension of the top to receive any matter that may be lifted from the chamber, and thus enables an operator to sort, eX- amine and arrange any papers taken from or placed in the chamber.

Fig. l shows that all the means for supporting the side-tops, during their movement laterally, is concealed within the chambers covered by such tops, and this effect is secured by locating the links Z, Z in spaces within the ends of such chambers and pivoting the links to move Within such spaces, and forming the outer corner posts a2 with slots j through which the links can swing outwardly, as shown at the left-hand end in Fig. l.

This construction, as well as the tting of a slide m to a frame m attached to the under side of the side-top g, is obviously applicable to a desk having only one side chamber.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is:

l. A desk formed with side-bodies and an intervening space between the same, a center-top supported movably over such space, a side-top tted to the top of each of the 'links' Aat each" end "extended "downwardly within the side-bodiesand operating toflift Vthe top upwardly and the'nreturi'ifitto its ,original level" when uncovering the sidebodies.

' '2.' A desk formedwith side-bodies having each a chamber'iniits upper part'andan intervening space between -the' same with a lcenter-top'fiitted movably to such-space "and a cross-bar', upon each side body; neXt'fj the edge` of the 'center-top, a side-top extended over leach of the side-bodies tothe said crossbar'and movableY away from the same, "each side-top having apair oflinksat each' end extended downwardly within'the safifd chainber'fand operating toymove theside-topifirst upwardly a'nd'then downwardly to its origi- "nal level in uncovering the said chamber.

f8. A desk formed' with side-bodiesand an' intervening spacer between" the' same, a'A kcenter-top supported movably4 in such space and having' Journals upon 'the' A'side-"bodies AAand mounted reversibly upon such journals to support a typewriter, a side-top fitted movably over each of the side-bodies and movable laterally away from the center-top, each side-top having a pair of links at each end extended downwardlywithin the side-body and journaled to lift the top upwardly and then return it to its original level when uncovering such side-body.

4. A desk having a body with posts at four corners and a chamber in its upper part with transverse spaces inside the casing walls at the ends of the chamber, a top fitted movably to the body above the posts, a slotted plate forming a guide at the top of each of the transverse spaces, the outer corner-posts being similarly slotted, links pivotcd at the bottoms of the spaces in the outer halves of the said spaces and projected through the slotted plates and pivoted to the inner halves ofthe side tops, and operating to move the top first upwardly and then downwardly in uncovering the said chamber.

5.` A desk having a body with posts at four corners and a chamber in its upper part with transverse spaces inside the casingwalls at the ends of the chamber, a top fitted movably to the body above the posts, and having attached to it a frame to support a slide, said frame resting normally upon the top of the body, and links pivoted to move within the ends of the chamber and jointed to the said frame, and operating to move the said top first upwardly and then downi `and adapted Vto support ar typewriter, a

guide-bar in the bottom of such space and a front-plate hinged to the reversible top and guided by the said bar to normally clon-e l the front of the said space.

7. A desk formed of side bodies having each a chamber in the upper part and provided With separate movable side tops, a bottom tie-plate connecting the tivo bodies through an intervening space, a center top fitted movably and normally flush with the side tops over ythe said space and having journals pivoted upon the side` bodies, the said top being reversible upon such journal, a guide-bar in the bottom of such space, a

kldap hinged upon the front edgeo'f the een ter top, a front plate hinged to the said Hap and guided by the said bar to normallyolose the front of the said space, the flap being adapted to clear the bottom tieplate when the center top is reversed.r A

8. A desk having a body with posts at four Corners and a Chamber in its upper part With transverse spaces inside the easingivalls at the ends ofthe Chamber, a top itted movably to the body above the posts, links pivoted tovmove Within the ends of the chamber and jointed `to the said top,f and the corresponding links at opposite endsr of the chamber being connected rigidly to a roekshai't, whereby the said links at the op posite ends of the ohamberymovein unison with one another. i s

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand.V Y

'rnRoY s. Manonnnus.

Gopes ofthspatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Conmissonerof Patents,

Washington, D. G. I l 

